Greetings new as well as long-time members! CAA can be an intimidating place, especially when first starting out trying to meet people. There are strict rules to follow, inside jokes to learn, people to meet without seeming like a total n00b, and a whole huge forum to navigate. It’s a daunting task to really “become a member of CAA”. But not to worry, I’m here to help! I’ve made some great guidelines to help ease your way into the CAA community and make your membership on CAA much more enjoyable. I hope they are helpful.

1.Read the rules (twice). This is an important guideline for you to follow if you wish to survive on CAA. The rules were put there to keep you and everyone else on CAA safe and happy. Memorize them if you can and follow them without fail.

2. Take a tour of the board before you post. I know sometimes you’re not quite sure where that awesome thread you want to make should go. This is why it’s a good idea to get yourself familiar with how the forum is laid out before you start posting. It may take a little time, but it will be worth it in the end.

3.Type in readable text in all your posts. In other words, make an effort to not spek leik tis. Bcus its vury hrd 2 red. But really, in order to be understood correctly, make an effort to type in correct grammar. Make the Grammar Ranger proud.

4. Strive to be a peacemaker whenever possible. As dull as this may seem, this will keep your time at CAA a lot more pleasant. Granted, if you know someone is in the wrong in their opinion, you can speak up. But instead of taking the “I’m right and you’re wrong” mentality, kindly inform them that their opinion is not entirely true and give good evidence to support this. And if someone takes you help the wrong way and lashes back at you, don’t do the same, as tempting as it may seem. Getting into an ugly fight just to prove you’re “right” isn’t worth hurting other members.

5. Don’t flame. This is in the rules, I know, but sometimes what you would consider a little ember can be considered flaming. People over the internet have feelings just like you. Please don’t burn them.

6. Always reread posts before you reply. It’s a well known fact that emotions can’t be expressed very well over the internet, so before you assume something, read over the post again before you reply. Following the advice in Nate's thread will help you quite a bit in this area too: viewtopic.php?f=23&t=412697. Before you post a thread, look for an existing one. You may have heard this one, but it’s worth mentioning in here. As excited as you are about the new chapters of Naruto(for example), there may already be a thread where you can vent your happiness without making a new thread. Observing this guideline just keeps the forum more organized and threads easier to find.

8. Respect other people’s opinions. Yes, I know it’s hard when you can’t understand why someone doesn’t like, say, cookies, for example, but you shouldn’t get on their case about it. Just accept the fact that they don’t like cookies and in the end, it leaves more for you.

9. If you do have a problem with a member, don’t outright say it for the whole board to see. This is unsightly and makes you look worse than you actually are. If you have problems with someone, take it to PM. Or, if it’s very serious, contact a moderator about it.

10. The moderators are your friends. Honestly, they don’t bite. They’re here to help you out in any way they can if you have a problem concerning the site. Or if you have any confusion about the rules, they are there to clarify. Make sure to always respect their authority as well. They help out on the site out of the goodness of their hearts.

11. The Goof Off is just that, a place to goof off. Please don’t take anything there very seriously. It’s a place to hang out and just have fun, not to spam your heart out or start a serious discussion.

12. Getting into the CAA group takes time, be patient. Like with any friendships, they don’t happen automatically. If you don’t feel like you’re being accepted by the other members instantly, don’t worry. Be patient while you’re still a new member and getting adjusted into the group. Try to be friendly whenever possible and be always willing to listen to learn about other members.

13. The Chat is only as scary as you make it. Things can sometimes get really crazy in the chat, and if you can’t follow it very well at first, be willing to lurk and just follow the conversation that way, perhaps inserting little comments here and there pertaining to the topic. If you don’t like the chat’s topic, don’t feel obligated to stay in the chat if you don’t want to. The chat’s topic also often changes like the wind, so if you wait a bit, there will be something new to talk about.

14. Please don't gravedig threads. Check the post dates of a thread before you post in it. Avoid posting in a thread more than 2 months old unless you have something very important to add(something more than "I agree", "I don't agree", ect...). And most of the time, old threads need to remain in the depths of CAA and not brought back up to the surface. 15. And most of all, have fun. CAA isn’t suppose to be a boring place. But it’s only as fun as its members make it.

Thank you all for taking the time to read this. I hope, if anything, I helped at least one of you out in making your time at CAA a lot more enjoyable.

I would also like to add/emphasize the bit about the search function. It is awesome for two reasons:1) It keeps the site clean and happy by avoiding the creation of new threads.2) It's filled with history. There are widespread in-jokes that have their start in some old thread. Plus, you can kind of get to know both members who are still around and those who aren't by reading what they've posted in the past.

goldenspines (post: 1301481) wrote:12. Getting into the CAA group takes time, be patient.[color=lemonchiffon] Like with any friendships, they don’]

Yes, this is key advice for "diving" into CAA. Although it will take time before anyone will accept you, CAA is a very loving place where it is filled to the brim with opportunities for showing your real side.

Here are some opportunities for doing this:

1.Try to put your first post in the Who's Who thread where other members can learn more about you and then can those members be able to share similarites and things that both members like. This opens the door for many a discussion which will inturn open the door for more friendships.

2. It may be hard for a new member to do this, but if they can the members may get a better look at who they really are. Go and post a picture of yourself in the Post your pic thread. That way other members can see what you look like and the connection between that new member and the other members will be less awkward.

3. As Goldenspines said, go into the Chat. The members of CAA will not hurt you. Here you can learn more and more about the other members without having to read all of their past posts. Although it wouldn't hurt to, as Rushia said, read up on their history. But I will give some more advise. When do I go into the Chat? I will say this, avoid going in when it is 3 am in the morning. Another time to avoid is when there are a lot of members in the Chat. This does not happen everyday, but still be on the lookout. Head into chat when there are 1-7 members in chat. That way you won't be lonely and your conversation with the members won't be overwhelmed by the other members' conversations. You can also head into chat when there is no one there and wait there for someone to come in, don't worry someone will come just not very likely at 3AM.

4. Play in the Goof-off! This is a wonderful release of all that bent out stress and you are assured of a non-srs bzns topic. Just don't overwhelm the place with polls as that has happened recently. JK

5. Become an active member of CAA. This means if you want to become a known member of CAA faster then do just that. Show what you can bring to the forum, let everyone get a piece of your character engraved into their minds.

a.Try to get on everyday and post once a day. It's okay if you can't get on because of other stuff(Because believe me, it happens to me all the time.) If you can achieve that one GOOD post of the day rather than some mindless, half-hearted posts then that is just is great.

b.Get involved into discussions when they interest you, do not post in a thread where you know you will be prone to let out some negative emotions when they do not help the thread at all. You know what happens to those threads, a mod, out of nowhere, swoops in and LOCKS IT! So don't let that happen by keeping the discussion friendly.

c.Post your own threads! But be wary of the rules of CAA and don't post something with a almost the same topic to a recent thread that was made.

d. Help pray for other members when they need it in the Prayer room by post there and saying your praying for them or by PMing them about it. You can also give advise to help them out.

6. Look for opportunities to show off your amazing Christian spirit! This is an awesome way to become a respected member of CAA.

I want to add this advice: don't be afraid to ask questions, even if they might seem stupid to you. There is a FAQ thread that might be of use and is a good place to post if you want. Also feel free to ask questions in the chat or by PM, although it won't be a good idea to spam members with hundreds of questions. Use the search function first and check out the thread I mentioned because there's always a chance someone has already wondered about the same thing.

I don't know what broke to make you like this, but I must be broken too if I'm standing here praising your destructiveness. -Rock (Black Lagoon)

As I had encountered kindness, I wanted to be kind myself. -Takashi Natsume (Natsume's Book of Friends)

I dunno, I just find it odd that people refuse to change to the current default skin, especially when studies have shown that white text on a black background is way easier on the eyes. Black text on a white background, for a computer screen, is like death for your eyes. It's painful to stare at for any length of time.

Nate (post: 1302105) wrote:I dunno, I just find it odd that people refuse to change to the current default skin, especially when studies have shown that white text on a black background is way easier on the eyes. Black text on a white background, for a computer screen, is like death for your eyes. It's painful to stare at for any length of time.

Psh, you can't blind me with your science. I actually find the white on black to be annoying. Probably because most of the internet is the other way around? I think you should start a campaign.

But to get back to the point of the thread..I assume it's a useful read. Because everyone else says so.

^^ This was like, one of the first (if not the first) things I read when coming to CAA. I forgot to thank you for this, goldy, so...yeah. Thanks. ^^ And Makachop, don't worry. You'll probably (hopefully) settle in as nicely as I did, and get used to things quickly.

Anystazya (post: 1319152) wrote:^^ This was like, one of the first (if not the first) things I read when coming to CAA. I forgot to thank you for this, goldy, so...yeah. Thanks. ^^ And Makachop, don't worry. You'll probably (hopefully) settle in as nicely as I did, and get used to things quickly.